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Phoenix666 writes:

Our latest research reveals that the ecological "pawprint" of domestic dogs is much greater than previously realised.

Using the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, we counted how many species are negatively affected by dogs, assessed the prevalence of different types of impacts, and identified regions with the greatest number of affected species.

Dogs are third-most-damaging mammal

We found that dogs are implicated in the extinction of at least 11 species, including the Hawaiian Rail and the Tonga Ground Skink. Dogs are also a known or potential threat to 188 threatened species worldwide: 96 mammal, 78 bird, 22 reptile and three amphibian species. This includes 30, two of which are classed as "possibly extinct".

These numbers place dogs in the number three spot after cats and rodents as the world's most damaging invasive mammalian predators.

Original Submission

butthurt writes:

A 2015 New Orleans Times-Picayune article tells how New Orléans' Vieux Carré Commission recommended that four monuments be removed. Three of them honour

The other monument

Various news outlets are reporting that the latter monument, an obelisk, has been dismantled at the behest of the city government, and that the others are also set to be dismantled.

coverage:

• Washington Post
• The New Orleans Advocate
• WWL-TV (has statement from city government)
• ABC
• New York Magazine
• Newsweek
• The New Orleans Advocate
• Chicago Tribune
• Los Angeles Times
• Times-Picayune
• Reuters

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butthurt writes:

News Corp's news.com.au reports on an internal document leaked from Facebook:

Facebook has apologised and says it will investigate.

The story originally appeared in News Corp's The Australian, where it is pay-walled.

Additional coverage:

• Facebook's press release
• Mashable

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takyon and butthurt write:

Microsoft has announced a new version of Windows called Windows 10 S. It only runs apps from the Windows Store, and is positioned between Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro, both of which can run third party applications. Microsoft also announced a new line of Surface laptops running the OS. The laptops have been described as competing with either Google's Chromebooks or Apple's MacBook Air, and aimed at students:

Windows 10 S is Windows 10 with its wings slightly clipped: it can only run apps from the Windows Store, disabling compatibility with the enormous breadth of Windows programs out there, which in the educational context translates to better security, consistent performance, focus for students, and improved battery life. It's cheaper and less versatile than Windows 10 Pro, which is exactly what schools are looking for (and the thing that's had them gravitating toward Google's Chrome OS in recent times).

[...] Immediately upon its introduction, Windows 10 S spans a price range from $189 to $2,199 (for the top Surface Laptop spec). So is this a straightforward and affordable solution for mass educational deployment? Or is it a super streamlined operating system for powering extremely desirable and long-lasting laptops? Yes. Microsoft's answer to both of those things is yes. It's not impossible to achieve both goals with the same software, of course, but it is difficult to position the OS in people's minds.

[...] The Windows on ARM effort is going to be rekindled by the end of this year, and Windows 10 S is the likeliest candidate to be the OS of choice for those new computers, in which case the significance of the S label will once again be complicated. Come the holidays, buying a Windows 10 S PC could mean getting either an Intel or an ARM machine, it could mean cheap and cheerful or it could be a premium portable.

Also at the Washington Post, Engadget, Laptop Mag, and Business Insider.

As well as BGR, Mashable, The Independent, PC World, Tech Radar, ZDNet, Ars Technica, Fossbytes, TechCrunch #1, TechCrunch #2, Venture Beat, and The Street.

What do you think the 'S' stands for?

Previously: Ask Soylent: Ramifications of Removing Windows Store from Enterprise Installs?
Microsoft Adds Store App-Only Restriction as Option in Windows 10

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Phoenix666 writes:

Rassim Khelifa was standing by a pond in the Swiss Alps collecting insect eggs one day, when he noticed something strange. A dragonfly being hotly pursued by another suddenly took a dive and crashed to the ground, seemingly dead on the spot, before springing back to life and making a grand escape once the coast was clear. The observations that followed confirmed a previously unknown phenomenon – the insect had faked its death to give a wannabe lover the slip.
...
But the aversion to clingy males doesn't stop there. Khelifa says that when the female is leaving the reproductive site is the time at which they are most vulnerable to coercion from the males, and it is here that they enact their most dramatic repudiative measure. Females were always chased by males after departure in his observations, and 31 out of 35 of those witnessed decided to crash to the ground rather than pair up with a mate.

Of those crashes, 71 percent landed the dragonfly in vegetation like bush or dense grass, and 87 percent – 27 out of 31 – were followed by faked deaths. The females do this by laying motionless upside down. This behavior is atypical of a dragonfly, and is apparently so convincing that it allowed 21 of the 27 to trick the male and escape.

Also covered in Elle, New Scientist (may be pay-walled), Z News.

Original paper: Ecology DOI: 10.1002/ecy.1781

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Phoenix666 writes:

Hajime [PDF] was first reported on in October, 2016 by Sam Edwards and Ioannis Profetis, security researchers at Rapidity Networks, a Boulder, CO based ISP.

Business Insider reports that Google is testing a new broadband wireless system for streaming data (video?) from a high speed race car to a base station.

I wonder how that high frequency works through chain link fencing -- which surrounds all the NASCAR tracks. Maybe they have to get the base station antenna up in the air and put it in the infield?

For all of the aw-shucks image that NASCAR exudes for the general public, there is actually quite a bit of high tech engineering behind the scenes, with the three car manufacturers supplying advanced engineering to their top teams.

If you would rather read the details from a racing site, try jayski.com's article at ESPN, but be prepared for ESPN's ads. Up until last year Jayski was an easy site to navigate, but not this year, it seems that ESPN has taken over the original managers.

Original Submission

Phoenix666 writes:

The controversial show about teen suicide millions of your friends on Twitter are talking about is getting increased content warnings.

The move is the latest in the conversation about the Netflix original program "13 Reasons Why", coming as a response to the backlash and concern about the show's suitability for young viewers.

The streamer released a statement Monday promising to "add an additional viewer warning card before the first episode." It has also "strengthened the messaging and resource language in the existing cards for episodes that contain graphic subject matter, including the URL 13ReasonsWhy.info."

Mental health organisations in Australia reported increased calls and emails since the program's launch in March. In April, New Zealand's classification body ruled that Netflix would have to display a clear warning for the entire series as well as individual episodes, branding it with the region's first ever RP18 rating. The new classification -- created for the program -- recommends people under the age of 18 watch the program only under the supervision of a parent or guardian.

Original Submission

Phoenix666 writes:

Technical systems must be regularly checked for defects, such as cracks. Up to now, piezo sensors measuring pressure, force or voltage have been used to reliably detect such faults – but only to around 200 degrees Celsius. Now, special high-temperature piezo sensors can continuously monitor components that are as hot as 900 degrees Celsius. Fraunhofer researchers will present their development at the SENSOR+TEST measurement fair in Nürnberg, May 30 to June 1, 2017.

If a component such as a steam pipe in a coal-fired power station has a crack, corrosion or other flaw, repairing it is imperative. Ultrasonic sensors mounted externally can detect flaws like these, but only when the component does not heat up to more than around 200 degrees Celsius. Above that temperature, conventional piezoelectric materials can no longer determine pressure, force, voltage or acceleration or act as a gas sensor. Furthermore, at these temperatures any plastic encapsulations that are not heat-resistant will fail.

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC have now successfully realized piezo sensors for high-temperature applications. "We have already implemented our sensors at temperatures of up to 600 degrees Celsius. Generally speaking, temperatures of up to 900 degrees Celsius are possible," says Dr. Bernhard Brunner, head of the Application Technology department at Fraunhofer ISC's Center Smart Materials. Additionally, the ultrasonic sensors remain stable over long periods – at least two years in any use case – and for many applications, researchers expect a service life of several decades. The principle is the same as for other piezo sensors: they are mounted externally on the component, for instance on a hot steel pipe. When an alternating voltage is applied to the piezoelectric crystal, it mechanically deforms and sends an ultrasonic wave into the material. After the sound wave, the sensor switches to receive and detects the signal reflected by the component. In most cases, it receives the same original signal it sent. However, if the component is cracked or has a corroded spot, the defect alters the reflected signal and indicates the defect's location. When several transducers are used that serve as transmitter and receiver, the location of the flaw can be pinpointed exactly to within a few millimeters. Depending on the component's material, the sensor's range covers a few meters.

Original Submission

Phoenix666 writes:

Arndt Remhof's team has developed a solid electrolyte that facilitates good mobility of sodium ions at 20 degrees. This last point is crucial: ions require a source of heat in order to move, and inducing a reaction at room temperature poses a technical challenge. The electrolyte is also non-flammable and is chemically stable up to 300 degrees, which addresses the various safety concerns associated with lithium-ion batteries. Hans Hagemann's team at the University of Geneva has been working in parallel to develop cheaper technology for the production of this new solid electrolyte.

Unlike lithium, there are huge reserves of sodium: it's one of the two components of table salt. "Availability is our key argument", says Léo Duchêne of Empa and first author of the research paper. "However, it stores less energy than the equivalent mass of lithium and thus could prove to be a good solution if the size of the battery isn't a factor for its application."

Magnesium: the perfect but complex material

The same team has also developed a solid magnesium-based electrolyte. Until now, very little research had been done in this field. The fact that it is much more difficult to set this element in motion doesn't mean that it is any less attractive: it's available in abundance, it's light, and there's no risk of it exploding. But more importantly, a magnesium ion has two positive charges, whereas lithium only has one. Essentially, this means that it stores almost twice as much energy in the same volume.

Some experimental electrolytes have already been used to stimulate magnesium ions to move, but at temperatures in excess of 400 degrees. The electrolytes used by the Swiss scientists have already recorded similar conductivities at 70 degrees. "This is pioneering research and a proof of concept," says Elsa Roedern of Empa, who led the experiments. "We are still a long way from having a complete and functional prototype, but we have taken the first important step towards achieving our goal."

The energy density of a magnesium electrolyte would solve the EV range problem, if it is double lithium's.

Original Submission

"exec" writes:

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

One of the most striking features of quantum theory is that its predictions are, under virtually all circumstances, probabilistic. If you set up an experiment in a laboratory, and then you use quantum theory to predict the outcomes of various measurements you might perform, the best the theory can offer is probabilities—say, a 50 percent chance that you'll get one outcome, and a 50 percent chance that you'll get a different one. The role the quantum state plays in the theory is to determine, or at least encode, these probabilities. If you know the quantum state, then you can compute the probability of getting any possible outcome to any possible experiment.

But does the quantum state ultimately represent some objective aspect of reality, or is it a way of characterizing something about us, namely, something about what some person knows about reality? This question stretches back to the earliest history of quantum theory, but has recently become an active topic again, inspiring a slew of new theoretical results and even some experimental tests.

If it is just your knowledge that changes, things don't seem so strange.

To see why the quantum state might represent what someone knows, consider another case where we use probabilities. Before your friend rolls a die, you guess what side will face up. If your friend rolls a standard six-sided die, you'd usually say there is about a 17 percent (or one in six) chance that you'll be right, whatever you guess. Here the probability represents something about you: your state of knowledge about the die. Let's say your back is turned while she rolls it, so that she sees the result—a six, say—but not you. As far as you are concerned, the outcome remains uncertain, even though she knows it. Probabilities that represent a person's uncertainty, even though there is some fact of the matter, are called epistemic, from one of the Greek words for knowledge.

This means that you and your friend could assign very different probabilities, without either of you being wrong. You say the probability of the die showing a six is 17 percent, whereas your friend, who has seen the outcome already, says that it is 100 percent. That is because each of you knows different things, and the probabilities are representations of your respective states of knowledge. The only incorrect assignments, in fact, would be ones that said there was no chance at all that the die showed a six.

-- submitted from IRC

Original Submission

Phoenix666 writes:

The massive Arab Spring protests that began in late December 2010 and spread from North Africa to the Middle East generated huge crowds and had quick and profound effects—including the overthrow of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who had held a firm grip on the country for decades.

Was this the work of people at the core of networks trying for years to create such a movement? Not according to research by Zachary Steinert-Threlkeld, assistant professor of public policy at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.

In a paper published in American Political Science Review, Steinert-Threlkeld argues that individuals not central to a social network may be more responsible for generating collective action and driving protest than those at the center. Steinert-Threlkeld calls his theory of the periphery's ability to mobilize "spontaneous collective action."

"Protests occur as a result of decentralized coordination of individuals, and this coordination helps explain fluctuating levels of protest," Steinert-Threlkeld wrote.

[...] "Having someone tell you, 'Hey, I'm going to protest tomorrow' is much less impactful than having multiple people tell you they are protesting tomorrow," he said. Large groups of people, as opposed to a few central individuals, are able to discuss "where to go, how to get there, when to go," as well as what is going on once there, Steinert-Threlkeld added. In addition, individuals debating whether or not to protest must receive a credible signal that large numbers of people are protesting.

The Mubarak regime initially arrested the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood because it assumed they were the only ones able to organize such large protests.

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butthurt writes:

The CBC has an article about the surviving works of art and architecture from Expo 67, which opened 27 April 1967.

Expo 67 may have opened a half century ago today, but it's 2017 that seems kind of old by comparison.

The art and architectural legacy of Montreal's 1967 International and Universal Exhibition — few, but impressive — litter Canada's landscape like the ruins of a fantastical future to which we somehow, somewhere lost the thread.

Found as far away as Newfoundland, Expo 67's remnants continue to exude some of the weird, wondrous magic of that Summer of Love in Montreal, when anything and everything seemed possible

Original Submission

butthurt writes:

Various news outlets are reporting that Bill Shine has been replaced as co-president of Fox News Channel. Suzanne Scott has replaced him. In possibly related news, there are reports that 21st Century Fox, which owns Fox News Channel, is in talks with the Blackstone Group (a private equity investment firm) to purchase Tribune Media, a U.S. broadcasting chain.

In the UK, 21st Century Fox has requested permission from the government's Office of Communications to increase its ownership in Sky News; in April the network dismissed commentator Bill O'Reilly after paying out settlements in multiple sexual harassment lawsuits regarding Mr. O'Reilly.

coverage (Shine):

• New York Times
• ABC News
• USA Today
• Los Angeles Times
• Slate blog

coverage (Tribune Media):

• Los Angeles Times
• CNNMoney
• New York Times
• Variety
• Miami Herald
• Chicago Business Journal
• WBAA radio

related story:
Fox News Chief Resigns

Original Submission

An Anonymous Coward writes:

Dr. Lowe, from In the Pipeline, writes about fraud in a recent clinical trial for heart disease:

Note: Bold added by submitter.

http://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2017/04/27/a-clinical-trial-torpedoed-by-fraud-and-incompetence

Original Submission

Phoenix666 writes:

A team of researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy has managed to generate cartilage tissue by printing stem cells using a 3D-bioprinter. The fact that the stem cells survived being printed in this manner is a success in itself. In addition, the research team was able to influence the cells to multiply and differentiate to form chondrocytes (cartilage cells) in the printed structure.

[...] The team used cartilage cells harvested from patients who underwent knee surgery, and these cells were then manipulated in a laboratory, causing them to rejuvenate and revert into "pluripotent" stem cells, i.e. stem cells that have the potential to develop into many different types of cells. The stem cells were then expanded and encapsulated in a composition of nanofibrillated cellulose and printed into a structure using a 3D bioprinter. Following printing, the stem cells were treated with growth factors that caused them to differentiate correctly, so that they formed cartilage tissue.

[...] The cartilage formed by the stem cells in the 3D bioprinted structure is extremely similar to human cartilage. Experienced surgeons who examined the artificial cartilage saw no difference when they compared the bioprinted tissue to real cartilage, and have stated that the material has properties similar to their patients' natural cartilage.

It's good news for sufferers of osteoarthritis and similar maladies.

Original Submission